Aspyr Media has released BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 1 for the popular story driven shooter. The new DLC features a story set in Rapture, the location of the previous games in the series. This time players will get to experience the city as it was before its fall from grace.

Come back to Rapture in a story that brings Booker and Elizabeth to the underwater city on the eve of its fall from grace. Developed by Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite, this DLC features Rapture as you’ve never seen it before—a shining jewel at the bottom of the ocean, built almost entirely from scratch in the BioShock Infinite engine. The combat experience has been rebalanced and reworked with a greater emphasis on stealth and resource management to give the player an experience that merges the best parts of BioShock and BioShock Infinite. It includes a new weapon, an old favorite weapon from the original BioShock as well as the return of the weapon wheel, a new Plasmid, new Gear and Tears. This pack is included in the BioShock Infinite Season Pass and will contain new Achievements.

Explore the city when it was at the height of its beauty, meet some old “friends,” and make some new ones, all through the eyes of Booker DeWitt. Why are Booker and Elizabeth in Rapture? What was the city like before everything fell to pieces? The answers to these questions and more will be found in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode 1.

SimCity: Cities Of Tomorrow, an expansion for the latest iteration of the SimCity series, is available now at Mac Game Store. The new addition to the game will give players the chance to upgrade their cities with new technologies and experimental urban planning techniques as they take them 50 years into the future.

What kind of future will you build for your city? Will you create a utopian society underpinned by clean technology, or allow a giant corporation to plunder and pollute in the name of feeding your Sims’ insatiable consumerism? In addition to expanding outward, cities will have the ability to build into the sky with enormous multi-zone MegaTowers. Education and research will help you discover new technologies that make your cities less polluted, less reliant on natural resources, managed day-to-day by service drones, and as a byproduct– at risk for resource-draining giant robot attacks on your city As the population increases, your Sims will live, work, and play closer together. Whether they do so in harmony and prosperity or as members of an exploited workforce is up to you.

Features:

Build into the Sky—Create towering multi-zone MegaTowers that allow your Sims to live, work, and play without ever having to touch the ground.

Corporate Consumerism vs. Green Utopian—Unlock two new city specializations that allow you to build a resource-hungry mega corporation powered by a low-wealth workforce, or an urban utopia that develops clean technology and is controlled by the rich.

Transform Tomorrow—Watch your city transform as it adapts to the changing times, with new options based on real-world technology such as Mag Levs that rise above the city streets and small buildings, futurized vehicles, and service drones.

New Disaster—Brace yourself for an all-new type of disaster only fitting a technologically-advanced economy: a giant robot attack on your city!

CodeWeavers, developer of CrossOver software which enables Mac and Linux users to run Windows software on their computers without the need of a Microsoft license, recently released the newest incarnation of the software, CrossOver 13. A key feature of the update is Performance Enhanced Graphics which CodeWeavers says has resulted in frame rate improvements of 40 to 60% or more in graphics intensive software, particularly games.

The centerpiece of release 13 is a dramatic improvement in graphics performance, particularly for games. According to CodeWeavers’ CEO Jeremy White, “Even though it’s been shown in many studies that frame rate isn’t the only measure of game play satisfaction, the truth is that many gamers do measure their success by their frame rate. With Performance Enhanced Graphics, now they can play their games any time the moment’s right.”

The reaction from CodeWeavers beta testers has been euphoric. Though user’s mileage may vary depending on their individual… hardware, frame rate increases of between 40-60% (or more) have been noted on titles such as Torchlight 2. One tester noticed a 2x-3x improvement in StarCraft 2. According to another, "With CrossOver 13, I can re-live all of the greatest moments of my misspent gaming youth, with excellent, near-native performance. I can once again be a nano-augmented resurrected Viking warrior working for the NSA, while mowing down innocent civilians in a four-wheeled death machine! Thanks, CodeWeavers!”

The key to CrossOver 13 is a new series of technical enhancements referred to internally as “The Command Stream.” The Command Stream allows CrossOver’s underlying open-source technology, Wine, to process graphical commands separately from CPU-related commands. “This means there’s no waiting around for the GPU to finish what it’s doing,” said White. “Command Stream passes redraws to the GPU just the way it likes it—hard and fast. And everybody gets instant gratification as a result.”

White cautions that Performance Enhanced Graphics is not yet a magic (blue) pill for every game out there. “I can’t promise you that the Command Stream will work miracles on every title. Every GPU’s needs and physiology are slightly different, and not all of them will react as passionately to the Command Stream as others. But for many titles, even middle-aged titles, we’ve been very pleased by what we’ve seen. Many folks will notice that Performance Enhanced Graphics gives them the confidence they need to be ready to play their favorite games. So, if you haven’t tried CrossOver for a while, now is a great time to give it a whirl again.”

Minor Key Games has announced the release of Eldritch for Macs. Inspired by roguelikes, immersive sims, and H.P. Lovecraft, the game challenges players to find their way to freedom while unearthing ancient secrets, fighting unusual foes, and invoking mystical powers.

What is Eldritch?Eldritch is a first-person action game inspired by roguelikes, immersive sims, and H. P. Lovecraft.

Unearth ancient secrets and find your way to freedom!

Sneak, fight, and explore strange worlds!

Invoke mystical powers to augment your play style!

Randomly generated levels provide fresh challenges and opportunities!

Unlock shortcuts to jump directly to deeper dungeons!

What is a roguelike?Roguelikes are a genre of role-playing games descended from the 1980 game Rogue. They typically feature randomly generated worlds, turn-based combat, and permanent player death. Eldritch's randomly generated worlds and permadeath are influenced by roguelikes.

What is an immersive sim?Immersive sims are a loosely defined genre of first-person games primarily influenced by the work of Looking Glass Studios. They typically feature robust AI and physics simulations and non-linear levels which encourage the user to play creatively. Eldritch's non-linear levels and open-ended play styles are influenced by immersive sims.

Who is H. P. Lovecraft?Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an influential author in the genres of horror and weird fiction. His most popular works deal with themes of terrible cosmic beings beyond the realm of human comprehension. Eldritch's setting is loosely based on a number of Lovecraftian tropes.

Eldritch is available now for $14.99 and requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later.
Eldritch

Overhaul Games recently released some new screenshots, several comparison shots, and sample music for the upcoming Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. Scheduled to launch on November 15 the game will include the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and the Throne of Bhaal expansion, as well as four new party members, a variety of new areas to explore, the new Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay arena combat adventure, and a host of bug fixes and performance improvements.

Become a God.

Kidnapped. Imprisoned. Tortured. The wizard Irenicus holds you captive in his stronghold, attempting to strip you of the powers that are your birthright.

Can you resist the evil within you, forge a legend of heroic proportions, and ultimately destroy the dark essence that haunts your dreams? Or will you embrace your monstrous nature, carve a swath of destruction across the realms, and ascend to godhood as the new Lord of Murder?

Lead your party of skilled adventurers into intense, tactical battles. Lure your enemies into deadly traps, call down magical meteors to smash them, and stop time itself to win the day. A diverse array of powers and abilities let you transform into a being of pure elemental force, or wield the might of the heavens with the Holy Avenger.

Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition combines both Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Bundled with the game on PC and Mac, and available as DLC on iPad and Android, are four diverse new characters, each with their own epic quest. Venture to the distant sands of Zakhara with your new companions, or lead them in a raid upon the home of the gods.

The Bhaalspawn Saga, Enhanced.

The Final Chapter - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition includes Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the epic conclusion of the Bhaalspawn saga.Four New Party Members - Bundled with the PC and Mac versions and available as DLC for iPad and Android, four new characters can join you on your journey. At the behest of his dark patron, Dorn Il-Khan plunders and defiles the Sword Coast. Hunted by Red Wizards, Neera the Wild Mage evades and disrupts the Thayans at every turn. Exercising his growing combat mastery, the monk Rasaad yn Bashir leaves his former allies to hunt the dark figure that corrupted his brother. A mysterious thief in service to mysterious master seeks powerful artifacts from across the globe. Recruit them, use their powers, and uncover over 30 new locations.The Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay - Explore the tactical depth of high-level Dungeons & Dragons combat. Undermine your captors and prey upon their weaknesses while you dodge traps and battle for your life against Demi-Liches, Mind Flayers, and Githyanki.Easy Multiplayer - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition makes it easy to find, list, and join multiplayer games, even while behind a firewall.Widescreen and More - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition features full widescreen support, remastered area artwork from original renders, and a host of other interface and gameplay improvements.